2000
#5,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,020
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Stowell
A locational surname derived from places in Somerset and Gloucestershire, England, referring to someone who lived near a spring or well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,019 Americans carry the last name Stowell. That puts it at #5,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,832 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Stowell surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Stowell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 48,832
Census rank
#5,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,121 bearers of the surname Stowell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Stowell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Stowell
The surname STOWELL is of English origin and is thought to have derived from the Old English words "stow" meaning "place" and "well" referring to a water source, suggesting it was originally a locational name for someone who lived near a well or spring. It may have been given as a surname to distinguish individuals from the place they inhabited.
The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Stouuuelle" in Lincolnshire and "Stouwelle" in Suffolk. This suggests the name was present in various parts of England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a Henry de Stouwell from Gloucestershire in 1273. The "de" prefix indicates the name was used as a locational surname during this period.
The STOWELL surname was also found in Somerset, with John Stowell being recorded in 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls for that county.
One of the earliest notable figures with this surname was Sir John Stowell (c.1347-1427), a member of parliament for Somerset and a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was born in Cotlestone, Somerset.
Another individual of note was William Stowell (c.1505-1572), an English Protestant reformer and clergyman who served as a chaplain to Edward VI and Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, Rev. William Scott Stowell (1621-1662) was an English minister who served as Rector of Farnham Royal in Buckinghamshire.
During the 18th century, Joseph Stowell (1740-1826) was a renowned English Congregational minister and author from Ipswich, Suffolk.
One of the more famous bearers of the STOWELL name was Lord William Stowell (1785-1858), an English judge and jurist who served as Judge of the High Court of Admiralty.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Stowell
Among Census respondents with the surname Stowell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Stowell bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Stowell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 5,597
- Two or more races3.6% · 222
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 188
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 57
- Black or African American0.5% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Stowell
Stowell appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,455
+435 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 63 places
2020
#5,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,121
-334 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,327 | 6,020 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,390 | 6,455 | 2.19 | +435 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 63 places |
| 2020 | #5,484 | 6,121 | 2.05 | -334 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 94 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Stowell surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,390 | #5,484 | -1.7% |
| Count | 6,455 | 6,121 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 2.05 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Stowell bearers went from 6,455 to 6,121 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,390 to #5,484.
FAQ
Stowell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Stowell?
Name Census estimates that about 7,019 living Americans carry the surname Stowell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,832 residents.
How common is Stowell?
Stowell ranks #5,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,121 people with the surname Stowell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Stowell.
Has Stowell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Stowell went from 6,455 recorded bearers to 6,121. That is a decrease of 334 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,390 to #5,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Stowell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Stowell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Stowell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (5,597 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Stowell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Stowell (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Stowell mean?
A locational surname derived from places in Somerset and Gloucestershire, England, referring to someone who lived near a spring or well. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Stowell (2.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Stowell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.